The Untold Struggle: Living with Post-Concussion Syndrome as a Hair Professional

Where do I begin?

My life was altered in 2016, I was in a major car accident that left me with a severe concussion and a hematoma on the occipital of my head along with permanent body injuries of my pelvic and lower back. I was also left with the inability to read (I would get debilitating migraines when I tried) my mother had to read for me when filling out forms, I had to go to occupational and physical therapy for 2 years. My left eye was impacted as well, I have to wear corrective glasses to this day. My brain didn’t work the way it did all of my life anymore. It was glitchy and disconnected from my body it seemed.

I felt like I was outside of my body watching this new person take over. Which led to major frustration, anger and lots of tears. My cognitive skills were jumbled up. Doing hair was not the way it was before when I could work 8-12 hours multiple days a week, multi-task, and travel to NYC for a Fashion Week or other gigs. This circumstance changed the way I worked in the salon for ever. I was only able to work part time no more than 3 days the max 4 hours. Other wise I would get a severe migraine, brain fog and major fatigue. In order for me to sustain in the salon I had to purchase a couch so I could lay down in between clients. For that I am grateful for the relationships I’ve built with my clients over the years.

I also began to pivot my business and renamed it RD Beauty & Wellness and trademarked my tagline Healing from the Crown Down. I always incorporated health into my service offerings but this was different this was a whole body inner and outer approach to wellness through hair care. I also became a certified Psychohairapist which uses hair as an entry point into mental health and wellness.

 

From the time the accident happened to now I have been in survival mode, never really having the chance to process this life altering situation. Mainly because I was a salon owner and just opened my salon in 2014, there was no room to take the time off I needed. Because my time in the salon was limited so was my income, the life I built for my daughters and myself was disrupted. I lived in a nice place, deck, central air a garage for my new car, and a great neighborhood for my daughters.

All of this changed when all of my savings (6 months of living expenses) had been exhausted trying to pay the bills that I no longer could afford due to my limitations. I remember the day I spent my last penny it was so sad. At that time I really had no where to go but by the grace of God my grandmother owned her house and was actually about to move into assisted living so it worked out.

It was one of the hardest moments in my life, almost homeless with two kids that I had taken care of with no hiccups for the most part all of their lives. I was defeated. Although I kept going, I made terrible risky decisions to follow that impacted not only myself but others. One aspect of a severe concussion is the process in decision making, it really alters the way you think, your logic and so much more.

It was hard to gain understanding from people that saw me as normal while suffering internally. Imagine not being able to do something as simple as read or line your shoes properly in a shoe box. Or curl the left and right side of the head similarly, I still get jumbled up trying to mirror the curl on each side. The same happens when trying to comprehend information, that is a task in itself. When the concussion was fresh I would get lost driving and would have to start back where I started to continue on, there were so many things that I had to adjust you have no idea.

At the time of the accident I was in the process of becoming an educator for a major brand, the problem was I needed to read to retain the information as well as remember the technical skills I had to teach and that was just not connecting for me at the time. So I walked a way from the opportunity.

I was in a dark place for many years and in 2018 I thought there was a glimmer when I conceived my daughter Luna, unfortunately I lost her at 4 months pregnant that September. I also lost both of my grandmothers back to back earlier that year in January and February. When I tell you I was in a place, I couldn’t even see straight. From 2018 - 2020 I was in a deep mourning that I had no clue I was in until one day I went to my closet to find color and there was none. Not because I wear black as a hair stylist but because there just wasn’t any color.

I remember going to brunch (wearing color) with my best friend and saying to her "wow I think I withdrew from the world for two years" and she said "yes you did". I didn’t even realize I did, until that moment.

I also realized that despite the scenarios I still pushed forward. Although I couldn’t teach the way I wanted, I created ways that worked best for me to teach and learn as well as gained a deeper understanding of various learners. Learning has always been a passenger in my life. The main take away for me is that everyone learns different and as an Educator I am able to tap into those various learning modalities and understand the diversity we experience when it comes to learning, whether its anxiety driven or neuro-divergency(which many beauty professionals have).

It's been 8 years since the car accident and I have what is called Post Concussion Syndrome (PCS) which symptoms may include headache, fatigue, vision changes, disturbances in balance, confusion, dizziness, insomnia, overstimulation, and difficulty concentrating. To learn more about PCS click here.

All of these major changes have taken me on many unexpected journeys but they have all repositioned me on a path to healing and becoming the best version of myself. Throughout these years I have been able to do some deep healing both emotionally and mentally. It is not for the faint of heart because things you have buried for so long become unearthed and sometimes with no where to go, so you may create more pain for yourself trying to cope. The key is to be accountable and align with a great therapist to equip you with the skills necessary to heal and support you on your unearthing.

Do the work and know every minute is a moment to try again or start over. I have learned so much about who I am now and who I was before. They are guiders and reminders to be honest with myself and most of all to have grace on my journey to strength, courage and continued healing.




Works Cited

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534786/

Works Referenced

https://www.cognitivefxusa.com/blog/post-concussion-syndrome-and-post-concussion-symptoms-pcs